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Post-cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal surgery
Hi – I had my gallbladder removed 17 years ago and have chronic, sharp back pain behind the port incision. That incision was in my upper left abdominal quadrant; the pain is felt in my back, directly behind the incision. It is thought that I have an adhesion in my upper left quadrant. Is it possible that nerves are trapped and that it causes referred pain in my back? The pain is nauseating and hasn't improved. I have been on anti seizure medication and a pain killer that isn't a percocet-type medication. I am curious if anyone else has persistent pain in their back following gallbladder surgery. If so, how is your pain treated.
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Hopefully I'll have the answer's I need so bad in July when i see the stomach specialist. I do have IBS which is pretty common. I'll look up the 2 you sent me, not sure what they are.
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2 ReactionsBless your heart, You have been thru a lot..My CT scans with/without contrast,MRI with/without contrast showed nothing wrong with my gallbladder, i suffered bad for a whole year without help, they finally did a hida scan and that's where they discovered my gallbladder was not emptying completely into my duct, So, they decided to take it out, Good thing they did, It was on the verge of rupturing, it done turned brown in color..the surgeon told my husband I had a diseased gallbladder that needed to come out way before it did.. I didn't have any gallstones. I will say a prayer for you and your surgery coming up 🙏
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1 ReactionTry taking oxbile tablets. It is over the counter at the health food store.
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1 Reaction@barbaraspainhour Good luck 🤞 Please do let us know how you go.
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1 ReactionThank you. Hope you get some help too. It’s definitely no fun when our tummy’s hurt. I’ll be praying for you too. 🙏
I had my gallbladder removed in 2012 and had a similar problem. They put me on a medicine that removed cholesterol from my stomach acid, I think, and it helped until I be ame allergic to it. Then I had to be on a bland mushy diet. My IBS was triggered a lot. I have recently spoken with a holistic dr. who is recommending a digestive enzyme with ox bile, which makes sense to me. We don’t produce bile without our gallbladders. It sounds like your food isn’t getting digested. They put my mom on Nexium, which I would not recommend because both of her hips broke from it and she got a C. Diff. Infection from lack of stomach acid, which finally killed her. Have you been checked for a yeast infection? I think that’s what is causing my intermittent diarrhea. Just some ideas. We need our gallbladders and they’re too cavalier about removing them! I hope you can find something that helps. 💕
Here's an interesting Mayo Clinic article I found on diarrhea after gallbladder removal:
- Chronic diarrhea: A concern after gallbladder removal? https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cholecystectomy/expert-answers/gallbladder-removal/faq-20058481
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1 ReactionI agree with the other person who said its probably bile acid malabsorption. Bile acid malabsorption (BAM), sometimes referred to as bile acid diarrhea, often occurs after gallbladder removal due to the disruption of bile acid regulation. Normally, bile acids are recycled in the intestines, but if they are not properly absorbed, they can draw water into the bowel and irritate it, leading to diarrhea.
I had the exact same thing. Gallbladder removal and then diarrhea every morning. Went on for years. I couldn't keep weight on. I finally found this condition bile acid malabsorption. I asked my Dr. for Colestid. She said take one with every meal. I ended having to take only one with morning meal and one with evening meal. Diarrhea gone! Also, I was drinking a pre-workout drink in the mornings and it made it much worse. I had to cut it out altogether. There are different medicines for it, similar to Colestid (which come in generic BTW). Medications like cholestyramine, colesevelam, or colestipol bind excess bile acids in the intestine and reduce diarrhea. These are often the first-line treatment. These medications are powders or pills and are generally well-tolerated, though they may cause bloating or constipation in some cases.
Good luck, I know how horrible it was. I was scared to leave the house, had incontinence, etc.
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4 ReactionsDid you try a Low FPDMAP diet? I have heard that it can help after gall bladder removal. I have had issues similar to this due to having Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency and am on a drug called Creon that has helped a great deal. Different from your situation, but the diet did help a great deal. Regretably, the Creon causes constipation, so it can still result in the occasional loss of bowel control, but it is still 90% better! After years of having this issue, it is a small price to pay for such an improvement. I know that the combination of feeling horrible, combined with anxiety and embarrassment of the situation, really derailed my mental health, so be careful with that. Perhaps a nutritionist can help with this diet or some other diet that results in improvement.
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1 Reaction@susanmaria ,Thanks for the info..